FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS ABOUT RESERVATIONS

We are a private, reservation-only hot spring with one hot spring pool. Booking a soak gives you exclusive access to the hot spring and sauna - you don’t share the water with anyone outside your group!
No. We only have one- and -two hour private soaks and do not have any accommodations on site.
Very serious. More info below in “Questions about getting here”.
Raspberry Hot Springs is pretty new to the Colorado Hot Springs scene! We opened in 2023. Additionally, we don’t have social media pages, and we don’t do any advertising. We keep it low-key and have a lot of return clients that book the Springs again and again.
No. We only offer one- and two-hour soaks. Three-hour soaks are available upon request.
Click the green button on the “Reserve a Soak” page to access our calendar of availability! Be sure to read about our Cancelation Policy and Vehicle Requirements!
Ninety-nine percent of the time, no. We typically book up a month in advance for weekends, and even weekdays are almost always fully booked by one to two weeks out. The one percent of soaks that are booked the same day are cancellations that open up on the website - if they are available, they will be visible on our calendar.
No. As cancellations are made, the appointment is removed from our calendar. If you don’t see any open times, that means we are either fully booked or closed for the day.
We only have one hot spring pool, and it is private to each group. We do not have extra time slots during the day, and short of canceling reservations that were made in advance (which, of course, we would not do) we simply have no way to accommodate last-minute requests.
Yes, we keep a running waitlist for each day in case we get last-minute cancellations. The easiest way to get added to the waitlist is to text us your name, group size, desired date/time (or time range), and how much notice you would need prior to your reservation time.
Nope! On the contrary, winter is our busy season. The views from the Springs are spectacular on a crisp winter day, and the hot water feels even more heavenly as air temperatures drop.

QUESTIONS ABOUT GETTING HERE

Yes. AWD or 4WD and 7+ inches of ground clearance is an absolute requirement. It’s even part of our waiver. The road up here is a steep, rocky dirt road that is easily damaged by 2WD vehicles struggling on the ascent. There are drainage ditches crossing the road that will cause low-clearance vehicles to bottom out. And anytime there is snow or ice, the need for both requirements increases exponentially!
Yes, even during the summer. Our vehicle requirements (AWD/4WD and 7+ inches of ground clearance) apply year-round.
Ground clearance/ride height is the distance between the ground and the lowest part of your vehicle. If you don’t know this figure off-hand, search “ground clearance” along with the make, model, and year of your vehicle and Google will tell you. 7 inches is the minimum acceptable ride height for the drive to the Springs (7.5 inches during Winter - November through April)
No. Parking on county roads is not permissible, and the closest public parking area is at the exit right off I-70. Walking from this point would require walking up several miles of paved, gravel, and dirt roads with no shoulders and steep roadside ditches. Vehicles travel these roads at speeds of 15-45 mph. And the land on either side of these roads is privately owned, so deviating from the road would be considered trespassing.
Denver is a big city. Generally, about 35 to 50 minutes, but we suggest mapping out your route on Google Maps.
No. It is simply not feasible for us to shuttle guests up and down the mountain.
We have no control over traffic, and do not offer refunds for soaks missed due to traffic conditions. Think of it like a flight; if you are late to the airport, you don’t get to reschedule your flight or get your money back. As a small business, we can’t afford to lose a booking and bite the bullet on a refund. If you arrive late, you can use the remainder of your scheduled time to enjoy your soak, but we do not offer time extensions.
Chinook or Redtail Ridge Road are the best options and are the only open roads in the winter. The Dakota Ridge Rd./Virginia Canyon access is much more rough, and should only be attempted by those with proper off-road vehicles and experience driving on Jeep trails.
We generally close during active snowstorms. Additionally, if road conditions are dangerous, we will close the Springs and cancel all reservations. If this happens, you will receive a full refund. You also have the option to reschedule your appointment in this case. In instances of severe weather, we will contact you the day of your scheduled soak to inform you of conditions and let you know whether we will be opening or not.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE

The spring stays around 103-105 degrees Fahrenheit year-round.
Yes. The spring itself is located about 1/4 mile below the soaking area. It is piped up to the terraced pool. The spring (Ginzburg Spring) is registered with the State of Colorado.
While you can wear a swimsuit, you do not have to. Every soak includes private access to the entire spring and sauna area during your soak time. If you choose to go without a suit, please be out of the spring and getting dressed in the sauna 5 minutes prior to the end of your soak time. Keep in mind, also, that the parking area is NOT private to your party. Out of respect for us, our neighbors, and the guests whose reservation follows yours (who may arrive early and wait in the parking area) please keep nudity contained to the forested Spring area.
Yes! We have chairs set up around the spring, and you’re welcome to enjoy food and beverages from the Spring area. However, we have a strict policy against glass - NO GLASS is allowed on the lower terrace. Also, you do NOT eat food in the water. Food scraps in the water, even just crumbs, can greatly affect the water chemistry of the Spring.
In accordance with Colorado DPHE’s Water Control Division Regulations for Swimming Pools and Mineral Baths (5 CCR 1003-5), we sanitize the water in order to keep minute amounts of chlorine residue (1-5 parts per million) in the water.
Please consult your doctor before booking a soak if you are recovering from an injury, a medical procedure, or an illness, or have any preexisting conditions that may be affected by soaking in hot water at high elevation (9,000 ft).
Our water permit allows for limited, specific use of the Spring water, and setting up showers would result in the use of hundreds of additional gallons of water per day, water that would be rendered unrecoverable. Until the technology for recirculating showers improves, we are not able to offer showers as part of this amenity.
The closest facility for showers is the Idaho Springs Recreation Center.
Yes, however, the sauna is more of a changing area at this point in time. There are two (indoor-rated) propane heaters inside the sauna structure that can be adjusted to provide either a comfortable changing temperature or a nice light sweat. We are planning to installing a wet stone heater in the future, at which point the sauna will become a separate amenity that can be added to your soak for an extra fee. For now, it’s included in the price of your soak.
No. We do not allow the smoking of tobacco products on the property.
We are a part of an incredible ecosystem up here. Moose, deer, black bears, foxes, hawks, eagles, squirrels, crows, and song birds frequent the land, and we have utmost respect for these wild creatures. Please enjoy watching wildlife from a distance - do not approach wild animals.
Raspberry Hot Springs is a 21+ facility. Children are not permitted on the property.
No. We are a 21+ facility.
Yes! We welcome dogs. All dogs visiting the Springs must be leashed at all times, and we do not allow unneutered male dogs on the property. Additionally, dogs are NOT allowed in the water.
Out of respect for your privacy and relaxation, we generally do not give time warnings. You will need to keep track of the time - we suggest setting a mellow alarm on your phone for about 10 minutes prior to the end of your soak - longer for large parties. This will give you time to get out of the water, gather your belongings, dry off in the sauna, get dressed, and walk back to the parking area by the turn of the hour. We generally check about 5 minutes prior to the start of the next reservation to ensure that you are out of the water and getting ready to head out. Please plan for the time it takes to pack up and change - staying longer than your soak time cuts into the next reservation. Repeatedly overstaying past your soak time could result in your being banned from the Springs.